Would 2

Here's another very common use of "would". It's actually the "if conditional", only shortened and used very commonly in conversations.

Example 1:

Chef: Come, I'll show you how to chop these onions. (Demonstrating it--chop, chop, chop)

Jane: Wow! I would cut myself.
(The full sentence would be "Wow! I would cut myself, if I had to chop those onions myself")

Example 2:

Employee: Do we have to clean all these tables?

Supervisor: It is not necessarily your job to do clean tables but I would get all those empty cups off the table. (..if I were you).

Example 3:

Jhon: Have you heard what happened to Mary? Her husband hit her again last night.

Jane: Again? I would have left him all along. (..if I were her)